SOURCE YOGA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Education Coordinator
- Instructor
Christine is the Education Coordinator for Source Yoga, supporting our teachers, scheduling and planning classes, workshops and educational opportunities at Source Yoga.
Erin Joosse has been a student of yoga since the early 90's, and has taught yoga and mindfulness for more than two decades. She founded Source Yoga in 2005.
She got her first interest in meditation from her mother Cynthia, who was a joyful, loving, and deeply spiritual woman who explored meditation and other forms of practice for many years. Erin stumbled upon her first yoga class as a college student in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and from that first class, knew she had found her way into a lifelong adventure of inner exploration.
Erin is grateful to be the steward of Source Yoga and to have been journeying with this community for so many years. She feels honored that so many people feel at home in the Source studios, and considers her path of business ownership to be one of the most important, challenging, rewarding, and spiritual experiences of her life.
She is a yoga instructor certified at the 500 Hour Level, and a Certified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute. She has a BA in Dance from the University of New Mexico, with an emphasis in Modern Dance, Choreography, and Flamenco. She has been exploring the joy of movement her whole life.
She is also a wife and a mom, a sister and a daughter, and her family and friends have made the difficulties of this last year+ a little easier every day. She continues to study, train, and practice, and makes time annually for silent meditation retreats. She is also a devoted writer who practices daily.
She teaches yoga, meditation, MBSR, writing as mindful practice, and guides the direction of the Source Yoga studios.
Karen Laura has trained for 300 hours with the Embodied School of Yoga and 300 hours with the Body Mind Centering Somatic Movement Educator Program.
She is dedicated to the work of dismantling racism, within her own body, her ancestry and within the collective body. She is a songwriter and performer with an upcoming solo album, Of the Embers and with her band, Her Treehouse.
Kelly Valenzuela became a certified yoga teacher in 2000 through Mount Madonna Institute in Watsonville, CA and a certified Viniyoga teacher through Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, WA in 2012. A self-proclaimed Viniyoga "convert", Kelly transformed her practice and teaching approach when Viniyoga helped her heal her own chronic injuries and she saw the benefits it could offer her students. In addition to being a long time student of yoga, Kelly has also studied meditation in the Yoga, Buddhist and MBSR traditions and weaves these teachings into her asana classes. Kelly believes yoga and mindfulness provide a beautiful pathway to connect with our bodies, quiet our minds and live in greater alignment with our hearts.
Melissa is co-founder of Source Yoga, and has been teaching since 2001. She finds that her yoga practice is an unfolding and cultivation of patience, compassion, and acceptance.
Shari came to yoga to deal with headaches and pain related to whiplash injuries sustained as a teenager. She found that yoga not only helped with the pain but also brought a sense of calm and balance to her life. She believes that if we connect with our bodies and our breath we can uncover what nourishes and sustains us to increase the longevity of our practices. All her classes honor individuality and the fact that there is no one way to do a posture. Her passion is slower practices that allow time to really explore the body and breath.
Shari continues her yoga training in multiple modalities including Yin, Restorative, Self Massage/Myofascial Release, Kundalini and these past couple of years taking a deep dive into Pranayama practices.
You can also see Shari behind the desk in her role as studio manager where she is committed to supporting students and teachers so they can focus on what they love, yoga!
Job Titles:
- Freelance Writer, Community Journalist
- Social Media
Tamiko is a freelance writer, community journalist, and public historian. She just published her first book, ROSA FRANKLIN: A LIFE IN HEALTH CARE, PUBLIC SERVICE, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE (2019). She started taking classes at Source Yoga 12 years ago, and started her social media/newsletter work for Source Yoga in 2011. Tamiko first thought of yoga as a physical workout, but is happy that it's become a necessary "mental housecleaning" too. If you have previously taken classes at either of our studios in North Tacoma or University Place, you have probably practiced right alongside Tamiko - and if you follow us on Facebook you've probably read many of the heartfelt articles she has shared over the years. We are honored to have Tamiko as part of the Source Yoga Staff.
Tiffany Speir is a ERYT-500 yoga asana instructor who bases her teaching in long term physical health and safety and mental peace. She teaches techniques that empower individualized practice, letting students maximize their physical potential while minimizing risk of injury. Tiffany's classes also incorporate breath practice and yoga nidra, providing a well-rounded experience that helps increase self-awareness and self-acceptance.
A dancer and a cellist, she brings rhythm and natural movement to her teaching. Tiffany studies with Stephanie Adams-Ruff of Jaya Yoga and is an ambassador for SAYF, the Safe Asana Yoga Foundation.